Before documents and data files were edited and transferred electronically over data networks, the traditional method of redacting sensitive information from paper documents amounted to crossing out portions of text with a wide permanent marker or black tape, for example, followed by photocopying.
Today, electronic document, image, media, and other types of data files can be viewed on display screens of various computing platforms at nearly any geographic location. As with paper documents, however, some data files include sensitive information or content. In some cases, before such data files are distributed over computer networks, it is necessary to redact one or more portions of them. As with paper documents, the redaction of a data file is intended to permit the selective disclosure of certain information in the data file while keeping other parts secret. Thus, one or more sensitive portions of the data file are obscured or removed using any suitable technique.
Once redacted the new copy of the data file including a redacted portion message in, the redacted portions of a data file are static in nature. In other words, regardless of the user or type of computing platform on which such redacted data files are viewed, the redacted portions are always the same. Thus, if a data file is being distributed to multiple individuals, where each individual has a different level of clearance to view certain sensitive or confidential material, it can be necessary to generate different copies of the data file, each being tailored for a certain individual's level of clearance. Even in this case, there may be no way to assure that an individual having a high level of clearance will not inadvertently distribute his copy of the data file to another individual having a lower level of clearance. Generating and separately storing different redacted versions of files can dramatically increase the storage requirements for companies and organizations.